He just didn’t assert himself, at least by his standards. To get those impressive numbers, he really made the most of limited opportunities.

Including regular season and playoffs, LeBron averages a touch every 30 seconds. Sunday, he touched the ball just once per 44 seconds – by far a season high time between touches.

Here are LeBron’s game-by game seconds per touch this season (regular season in red, first round against Bobcats in blue, second round against Nets in black, Game 1 against Pacers in gold).

In all, LeBron had just 56 touches in 41 minutes Sunday. He had fewer touches just thrice this season – a pair of wins over the last-place Bucks and a victory over the Spurs in which he played a season-low 28 minutes.

Usually, LeBron better picks his spots to defer. In the 20 previous games this season he had the fewest touches, the Heat went 19-1.

LeBron didn’t defend well, and he didn’t make the mark he can offensively. His numbers were good, and so was his play. Merely good just isn’t the standard for LeBron.

Often, unfairly, we’ve demanded more and more from LeBron. But had he even been as involved Sunday as often as he usually is, that would have made a significant difference. Not only would he have been in position to score more, having the ball would have forced the Pacers defense to collapse more often created open shots for his teammates.

For the Heat to overcome their 1-0 series deficit, they need LeBron to assert himself. Teammates ignoring him is not an excuse for a player of his caliber. He has the cache to demand the ball.

Cant wait for game 2. Going to be a good one. Everyone in the country fell off the Pacer bandwagon during the first 2 series’. Look how quickly that changed? Like every series the Heat play, its them against the world. Literally.

I dont think people should make too much of this loss. Indiana shot the ball abnormally well (52% FG and 42% from 3), and Miami’s defense didn’t adjust even after the Pacers repeatedly beat their trapping perimeter defense by getting the ball the high post.

Miami’s offense was fine. The defense was awful, they need to make some adjustments. But regardless, Indiana wont get a 20+ FT differential again, they likely wont hit 42% of their 3pt shots and hit 8 of them.

Lebron and Wade both had very efficient offensive games. That’s a good sign.

I don’t understand why they dont give the ball to Bosh and work against Hibbert or West. Both of them don’t have the quicks to guard Bosh one-on-one…

Yea, a great sign when your best players play well and your team had no chance to win the game, really?
Bosh tried once to drive on Hibbert and threw a shot up that looked like you did it.
Bosh is soft serve ice cream. Indiana had a guy like him once… Troy Murphy. Big lefty that thinks he can shoot threes.

Cant wait for game 2. Going to be a good one. Everyone in the country fell off the Pacer bandwagon during the first 2 series’. Look how quickly that changed? Like every series the Heat play, its them against the world. Literally.
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Figuratively, actually.

He needs his team to step up. Bosh has been reduced to a 3 PT shooter who can give you minimum down low at best. I have a lot of respect for the Pacers because even though they had a rough playoffs there still the team that took Miami to 7 games last year and it seems like we get our behind kicked most of the time in Indiana. I knew this game was coming. Miami looked flat and there just stupid to live with going 6-23 from downtown. 23 attempts from the 3 means no driving to the basket, which means no getting anyone in fouls trouble , which means a loss. The Pacers shot 31 ft to our 13 I believe and I’m not gonna put that on the refs but rather the damn Pacers driving and getting the damn call.

I don’t like the Heat but I still think they win this series. They looked like they forgot how to play competitive basketball yesterday, and that makes sense because they coasted all season and through the first two rounds. They normally play great pressure defense and I didn’t see it yesterday, let’s see how it plays game 2

The Heat did not “coast” all season. They tried and FAILED to obtain the #1 seed in the East.
Fun fact: LeBron James is 0-7 in game 1 playoff games on the Road.
If the Heat chose to coast all season they should have taken some advice from LeBron and “watched what they wished for!”
Heat got beat down and have no answer for the team of ball players in Indiana.

This heat team has lost every game 1 on the road since they’ve been together. In the exact same fashion. Lebron let’s his teammates try to get into a rhythm and the y get crushed. But we all know how those series turned out

I wouldn’t put too much thought into this win for the Jekyll and Hyde Pacers. This was an outstanding night for them where everything was going into the basket. This is the kind of loss that Spoelstra can use to get the team motivated while at the same time understanding that its highly unlikely that this Pacers team can play consistently like that. If the Heat get up 2-1 over the Pacers, I feel like they will fall apart. That locker room has some bad mojo in it.

Not always. One important thing that LeBron is constantly aware of is Wade’s confidence and needs. Wade scored 27 points in Game 1 and had the same number of shots as LeBron. That is an investment in teammates from James that will pay off later.

Jkirby. Another scrub who just talks but doesn’t watch basketball. This is who the heat are. A team that now is motivated to play better , and yes they did coast through the regular season while Indiana gave their all.

I honestly hate rooting for the guy or even admitting that he’s the best, but when I watched the game yesterday I thought he looked spectacular and his team let him down. I don’t agree with the criticism. He’s going to explode in game 2, everybody knows it. This is going to be an exciting series.

The Pacers played uncharacteristically well on Saturday while the Heat looked uninspired and bored. That combination will equal a Heat loss every time. I think the Heat were expecting the Pacers to play as badly as they have been playing during the playoffs despite winning 2 series. They were wrong. Don’t expect the Heat to make the same mistake twice.

For the Heat to win this series 1) Lebron has maintain his hunger to dominate and win. 2) DWade has to stop making dumb turnovers and whining to the refs every other play. 3) Chris Bosh has to step up and be aggressive. He is the x-factor for this Heat team. Where is he? 4) Stop relying on the 3 ball especially when they are not falling, and 4) Rebound the stupid ball!!!

The Pacers played uncharacteristically well on Saturday while the Heat looked uninspired and bored. That combination will equal a Heat loss every time. I think the Heat were expecting the Pacers to play as badly as they have been playing during the playoffs despite winning 2 series. They were wrong. Don’t expect the Heat to make the same mistake twice.

For the Heat to win this series 1) Lebron has maintain his hunger to dominate and win. 2) DWade has to stop making dumb turnovers and whining to the refs every other play. 3) Chris Bosh has to step up and be aggressive. He is the x-factor for this Heat team. Where is he? 4) Stop relying on the 3 ball especially when they are not falling, and 4) Rebound the stupid ball!!!

Maybe LeBron was distracted by his planning for the Mt Rushmore of Basketball to be built.
By him.
For you, so you all know.
May not be a top 4, who else can compare?
You know that’s what he’s thinking.

This is true. But this is also typical of LeBron early in a series as he’s feeling it out. He’s been doing that since Cleveland. He’s kind of like Floyd Mayweather in that regard – in the early rounds he’s learning his opponent (and in LeBron’s case he’s seeing where his teammates are at). He wouldn’t want to start Game 1 going into the Cleveland offense. He usually saves the Cleveland offense for later in a series.

*IF* the Pacers play together it will be a 5 on 2 more often than not.
The Pacers D is going to be the determining factor of this series. Wade and LBJ can score 70 points together if the rest of the team is going into the Pacers D’s teeth, they’re in trouble.